


Ben Baker’s Dilemma

by CeslaToil



Category: Monsterkind (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, First Date, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 20:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14268750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeslaToil/pseuds/CeslaToil
Summary: Ben and Wallace get to know each other over coffee at Cuddy’s.





	Ben Baker’s Dilemma

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this was originally written for a zine that fell through, so y’all are getting it now.

Ben Baker was doing his best to ignore Molly and Kate while having breakfast that morning. He had to hand it to them, they were both very conspicuous at the counter, whispering to themselves while shooting him delighted, devilish looks at his booth. He had the itch to say something snarky, didn’t the two of them have other customer’s at Cuddy’s?

Thankfully, Ben’s date sitting across the booth was much worthier of his attentions than two overly invested spectators.

  
“I don’t believe you,” Ben amicably told Wallace before taking another sip of his coffee. Black but sweet, his usual order.

  
“W-what,” said Wallace, his voice a slight, indignant squeak, “It’s true!”

  
“There’s no way you’re Necessary Kid,” Ben teased. Wallace gave him an unconvincing glare before descending into helpless giggles.

  
“I can’t believe that’s the nickname they came up with.” Wallace pinched the bridge of his nose.

  
“Seems to me that’s the sort of thing the real Necessary Kid would have come to terms with,” Ben shrugged. He took another sip; he vaguely wondered if he should add another sugar packet to the brew.

  
“I’m telling you,” Wallace insisted, “I made it all the way to the Interdistrict Spelling Finals fifteen years ago! I would have won too, if it hadn’t been for… that word…”

  
Wallace scowled before taking a swig from his own drink, some blended, fruity concoction Molly had whipped together. Wallace had been too kind or too nervous to refuse.

  
“If you say so,” said Ben with yet another shrug.

  
Wallace scrunched his face, as if bracing himself for something painful and unpleasant, before digging his phone out of his pants pocket. Ben watched as Wallace fiddled with the screen momentarily before sliding the phone towards him.

  
There was a video playing of a gangly, awkward tween with a mouthful of braces standing in front of a microphone. Ben had seen the video hundreds of times, however this was the first time he was able to place the pointed nose and gingery blond hair to a real person.  
Young Wallace was given the word “Necessary” to spell, and young Wallace, in turn, spelled a word that was about as un-Necessary as you could get.

  
“N-E-S-S-A-C-A-R-I-E!”

  
Halfway through spelling, young Wallace clearly realized he had mangled the word beyond repair, the boy’s face twisted into and embarrassed grimace long before the shrill elimination bell had rung. Ben only had to glance up at Wallace once before he started laughing uncontrollably.

  
_He still makes the same face!_

  
“Sorry,” Ben wheezed, trying to settle himself down. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, it’s just… cute-funny? You were cute-funny.”

  
“If you say so,” said Wallace, his face beet-red as he stuffed the phone back into his pocket. “You know they made a dance remix of that video? They played the song at homecoming and everything!”

  
“Our fine educational system well at work,” said Ben. Wallace still looked embarrassed; Ben watched as he slowly tore apart a coaster napkin while trying to laugh the video off.

  
“If it makes you feel any better,” said Ben, “I was a complete dork in high school.”

  
“Really? How so?”

  
“You name it and I’ve done it, all while covered in acne and body spray,” Ben smiled mischievously.

  
Wallace put a finger to his mouth, his eyebrows knit together as if he was lost in thought, before finally asking, “Chess Club?”

  
“Yup. Wasn’t even good at it, I kept moving the pieces around the wrong way to annoy my partner, Leon Brown.”

  
“How about… Marching Band?”

  
“Close—it was orchestra, I played Timpani.”

  
“Who would have thought you were a musical type,” said Wallace with a smile.

  
“If you heard me play the timpani, you would have never guessed it either.”

  
“Ha! Okay so… were you also in anime club?”

  
“Now look,” said Ben indignantly, “I had at least some standards!”

  
Wallace laughed. They hadn’t known each other long, but there was this indescribable dynamic already between Ben and Wallace, this easy comfort of one being around the other. They were talking about nothing, and yet they hung on each word spoken. On top of that, Ben found Wallace unconsciously alluring. His smile, his laugh, his determination to help others, these things that just made up Wallace Foster were so attractive to Ben…

  
… It almost felt like going out with Yumi again.

  
The thought had been quick and quiet, but the effect was enormous. Ben’s light, happy mood had been snuffed out at once, replaced by a tight constriction that was crushing his heart.

  
“Are you alright,” asked Wallace, alarmed by the dark look on Ben’s face.

  
“I… I need a moment,” said Ben, getting out of the booth to rush towards the restroom. Once inside, he slammed the door shut, sealing himself inside the tiny room. In the bathroom mirror, Ben could see a graying pallor on his face and a few beads of sweat around his temples; he could have sworn he heard his own heartbeat thudding dangerously against his chest.

  
“What am I doing,” he mumbled out loud. He tapped his fist against his forehead in frustration. How could he have been so stupid? No matter how much he wanted to move on, no matter how infatuated he was with Wallace, he just couldn’t make it through one stupid coffee date. Yumi’s memory still loomed over Ben like the ominous clouds of a hurricane. This new bond with Wallace was undoubtedly doomed to be torn apart in the aftermath.

  
BANG!

  
Ben jumped; the door had nearly been knocked off its hinges.

  
“Whoops! Sorry Ben,” said Molly through the door. “Darn it, I barely even touched the door…”

  
“That’s okay,” said Ben, still reeling from his newly derailed train of thought.

  
“I just wanted to check in,” said Molly, “How’re you feeling?”

Ben answered with his silence.

  
“You know,” said Molly gently, “Wallace is a pretty nice guy. If you need to slow things down, or put it on pause until you’re ready… I think he’ll understand.”

  
“… What if I’m never ready?” Ben’s voice snagged on a sharp crack.

  
“You will be,” Molly assured him. “But maybe now just isn’t the right time. What do you think?”

  
Ben took a deep breath. Five years was a long, lonely time to grieve. Yumi didn’t like seeing him brood, she always went beyond the call to cheer him up when these dark moods pressed him down.

  
Could Wallace make him that happy?

  
Could he make Wallace happy?

  
Ben opened the door, where Molly was standing before him with her massive hands clutched together.

  
“I think,” said Ben at long last, “There’s never going to be a right time, not exactly. But I’d like to give it a try.”

  
Molly nodded, shot Ben a quick smile, and said, “Good luck, Ben.”

  
“Thanks.”

  
Wallace was still sitting at the booth, looking worried and nervous as Ben sat back down in his seat.

  
“How’re you feeling,” asked Wallace.

  
“I think I’ll live,” Ben nodded. Loosely lacing their fingers together, Ben took hold of Wallace’s hand. Ben could see a scarlet flush begin to bloom across Wallace’s cheeks, which quickly gave way to a gleaming smile.

  
“I’m sorry if I made you worry… It’s been a long time,” Ben confessed, his voice soft and low.

  
“It’s no problem,” said Wallace, gently squeezing Ben’s hand.

  
Ben was soon able to return Wallace’s smile.

  
“Anyway,” said Ben with replenished confidence, “Let me tell you about the time in tenth grade when I single handedly ruined the orchestra’s winter concert…”


End file.
